Selection of the Correct RF Frequency Reference

This associate is an expert in selecting the correct RF frequency reference which can be a tedious and frustrating task because of the very many choices spanning roughly 5 orders of magnitude in frequency stability and price. We have helped many people in this endeavor. One needs to identify the required static and dynamic performance, and then to evaluate the environmental parameters of possible choices. Of the environmental parameters, vibration sensitivity is often the most serious and the most difficult to mitigate. Ultra reliable systems generally make use of several power sources that are hot swappable. Often it is necessary to combine several sources to obtain the required system performance. The first three items are fundamentally related.

• Selection Parameters
• Time-domain frequency stability
• Phase noise
• Phase stability with time and environment
• Frequency accuracy
• Amplitude noise
• Continuous or intermittent service
• Warm-up and / or retrace requirements
• Output signal power
• DC input power restriction
• Multiple power supplies required, hot switching to backup?
• Size & weight restrictions
• Tuning range
• Electronic or manual tuning
• Lifetime / reliability
• Commercial / military / space?
• Available lead-time
• Cost restrictions
• Environmental parameters
  • Temperature
• Humidity
• Atmospheric pressure
• Vibration
  • Voltage stability
  • Radiation environment
  • Magnetic environment
  • Load stability

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